In the past, fibrous strengthening elements have been added to soil by planting vegetation or by incorporating simple fibrous materials such as chopped nylon, dacron or polyester to the soil. The use of vegetation requires seeding, fertilizing and maintenance. The soil area to be stabilized must: be in a position that gives the vegetation access to sunlight and water. Using natural vegetation for soil stabilization also has the disadvantage that roots actively remove moisture from the soil and may cause changes in soil volume especially if expansive clays are present. In some situtations, such as embankments around fuel storage areas, vegetation cannot be used because of the dangers of fire.
Simple fibers with no adhesive have been used in the past: for soil stabilization, but soil does not bind to the simple fibers as it does to the sticky surface of a root. The favored fiber types have been synthetic fibers such as nylon, dacron and polyester. The objection has been made that these fibers, in general, do not wet well and soil does not adhere well to the untreated fiber. Further, these fibers are not "natural materials" and will remain in the soil indefinitely because they are not biodegradable. Untreated natural fibers, for example, cotton or wood fibers, degrade too rapidly to be useful for anything more than temporary stabilization.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method of soil stabilization.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a method of soil stabilization employing fibers having increased soil adhesion properties.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of soil stabilization which is characterized by economies in material and manufacturing effort.